1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates generally to edible potato products, and, more specifically, to a product made by a novel preparation of a potato on a stick.
2. Related Art
Vast quantities of frozen processed potatoes are sold for quick preparation in restaurants, vending carts, and homes. French fries are the most important of the frozen potato products and are supplied for finish-frying in oil or heating by baking or microwave just before serving. French fries are available in the traditional elongated shape and, more recently, in a spiral shape.
Raw french fries are typically blanched after cutting and before frying. This blanching is usually accomplished as a hot water blanching and has the effects of destroying enzymes and enzyme activity and the reduction of sugars and other chemical constituents responsible for the production of off-colors and flavors. The usual range of water temperature for blanching is about 140.degree.-180.degree. F. Hot water blanching results in the removal of water-soluble reducing sugars which are responsible for the coloring of the fried product. Hot water blanching also results in some partial cooking of the french fry potatoes.
"Cooking" is the means by which the raw starches, usually constituting between about 65%-80% of the dry weight of the potato, are converted into more readily-digestible starches, such as amylose and amylopectin. In the raw potato, raw starches are contained within starch granules, held within the plant cells. As the cellular structure is heated during cooking, particularly in the presence of heated water, the starch granules swell and may rupture the cell walls. The starch granules themselves may rupture, resulting in free starches being distributed outside cell walls throughout the cooked product. As a potato is cooled, the starches may gelatinize and restore some firmness to the cooked product.
Baking a potato results in cooking or partial cooking in a much dryer environment than blanching, since it does not surround the potato in a bath of water. Whereas blanching removes water-soluble constituents from the potato, baking tends to cook without removing water-soluble constituents, but does remove water. A baked potato is softer, more mealy, less crisp and more tender than the potato which is blanched or fried.
Skin-on potato boats, or "potato skins", are also a popular restaurant food item. Glantz (U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,494) discloses a potato boat processing method wherein a whole potato is blanched until the outer potato layer just under the skin is gelatinized. The potato is then cut in half longitudinally, and the ungelatinized center or heart of the potato is removed by scooping or abrasion. The scooping or abrasion of the heart leaves a boat-shaped potato piece. The potato boat is reconstituted in restaurants by broiling, baking, or frying and then is served with fillings such as cheese, sour cream, and salsa. Glantz also discloses that potato boats have been prepared by baking and cutting whole potatoes and then scooping out the center.
Veale (Canadian Patent 680,486) discloses a potato product that is made by cutting or grooving a potato to form a plurality of substantially parallel slices attached to and radiating from the core of the potato. The cut potato is cooked in a suitable edible fat or oil and the resultant potato product is eaten, preferably on a stick.